Safety hinges



Aug. 2, 1966 w. n. M GAHEE 3,263,259

SAFETY HINGES Filed Sept. 2, 1964 6 L42 10 n W 11 ll i j 5 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 200 240 By I Patented August 2, 1956 3,263,269 SAFETY HINGES Welbourne D. McGahee, 170 S. Pine Drive, Satellite Beach, Fla. Filed Sept. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 393,894 4 Claims. (Cl. 16-169) This invention relates generally to the art of hinges for supporting doors and the like, and more particularly with loose-pin safety hinges having a nonrising pin or pintle. More specifically, this invention relates to improved safety hinges having nonrising pintles that cannot be removed by unauthorized persons to gain entry or egress without the permission of the owner of the premises.

Various means have been devised to provide nonrising pintles, see, for example, the US. patent to Gawlik 2,566,486 or the US. patent to Welker 2,978,736. The hinge structure herein disclosed might be thought of as improvements over the prior art.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved loose-pintle safety hinge having a nonrising pin.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for positively holding the pintle against improper movement.

Yet another object is to provide means whereby the pintle cannot be removed without considerable difficulty unless the door is open.

Other objects and advantages will clearly appear from a description of preferred embodiments a shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a conventional hinge with retainer;

FIG. 2 illustrates the retainer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shOWs a conventional hinge with a retainer modified to accommodate a spherical pintle upper head;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a modified hinge with the leaves in the open position;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the right hand leaf and pintle integral with the retainer.

Similar reference characters are applied to similar elements throughout the drawings.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-3, the leaves 1, 2 of a conventional hinge are shown with the usual holding screws 1a and 2a. The fiat pintle head 11 is held from upward movement from use or from unauthorized removal to gain entrance or exit by a pintle retainer 3 best seen in FIG. 2. The retainer 3 is mounted by screws 3a, 3b through holes 3c in the retainer 3 just above the conventional hinge as shown in FIG. 1. When the door is closed this portion of the retainer 3 along with the hinge leaves will be inaccessible whereby the retainer cannot be removed so that the pintle might be knocked out with a hammer blow or pulled out with pliers. The retainer 3 is provided with a ninety degree bend at 4, an upper flat portion 5 extending outward from the bend, another bend at 6 substantially one hundred eighty degrees, and a lower member having fork portions 7, 8 providing a slot 9 that fits around the pintle. The resulting space 10 between the forked portion and the upper flat portion 5 accommodates the flat head 11 of the pintle. The retainer 3 is made of suitable material, such as hard steel, which cannot be easily bent out of shape by means, say, of a screwdriver. It is seen that a hinge and retainer has been provided that precludes the unauthorized removal of a hinge pintle without considerable difficulty which, in

itself, may discourage a burglar from attempting removal because of possible noise and the time required to effect entry or egress, as the case may be.

FIG. 3 shows .a modified retainer 13 with bend 14, upper portion 15, bend 16, in all respects the same as the retainer 3 except that the bend 16 is such as to provide the space required to accommodate the spherical pintle head 12. The retainers 3 and 13 are exemplary for those required for the flat type pintle head 11 and the spherical type pintle head 12. Modification of the retainer to accommodate other types of pintle heads will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

While the retainers thus far described may be used with existing conventional hinges in use or to be installed, FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modified hinge construction having leaves 20, 21, holding screws 20a, 21a, and hinge knuckles 25, 25 on the left-hand leaf and knuckles 22, 23, 24 on the right-hand leaf to receive the pintle 281 with a conventional head 29, here illustrated as spherical. It is obvious that the pintle head may be flat or otherwise as desired. The pintle head is only decorative and may even be omitted. Integral with the pintle 28 is a retainer 30 having a hole 306 for screw 30a, said retainer further having a lower horizontal edge 31, an inclined edge 32, and a second horizontal edge 33 cooperating with complementary edges 31a, 32a, and 33a on a cutout portion on the leaf 21. The angle between edges 31a and 32a, and also between edges 31 and 32, may be 30, but the value is not critical and may be, for example, or other desired value. The knuckle 34 of retainer or locking plate 30 is fixed to or integral with the pintle 28.

The hinge just described is attached to the door and door frame in the usual manner except that the last operation involves the insertion of the pintle 28 in the knuckles with the retainer 30 outward, after which the retainer 30 is turned counterclockwise so that the edges mentioned supra mate together (may require a slight tapping force) whereupon the screw 30a may be inserted to provide locked unitary hinge structure. It follows that when the door is closed the screw 30a is inaccessible. Thus the pintle cannot be pulled out with pliers. Should the dummy head 24a be knocked oft without greatly damaging the lower end of pintle 28, a hammer blow still will not permit the knocking out of the pintle 28 since the upward force is transmitted to the edges 32 and 32a at an angle which tries to bend the pintle body towards the right. This, of course, deforms the knuckle 22 which further increases the difiiculty of removing the pintle. The retainer 30' cannot move horizontally because the hinge is closed with the door and door frame on either side thereof. Thus the retainer is mechanically locked to the other hinge portions.

It can be seen from the instant invention that simple and rugged means have been provided that prevent undesired movement of the pin upward and also prevent unauthorized removal of the pin in door hinges.

While the purposes of description I have shown and described specific embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hinge comprising a left-hand leaf, a right-hand leaf, knuckles on both said leaves for receiving a pintle, said right-hand leaf having an angled cutout portion, a

63 pintle, a retainer member integral with said pintle, said retainer member having an angled lower portion for cooperation with said right-hand leaf angled cutout portion whereby said pintle is restrained in upward movement.

2. A hinge in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retainer member is provided with at least one screw hole adapting said retainer member to be affixed to a fiat surface.

3. A hinge in accordance with claim 1 wherein cooperating adjacent edges on said right-hand leaf cutout portion and on adjacent edges on said retainer member define an angle between thirty and forty-five degrees.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1868 Reiker 16169 9/1951 Gawlik 16169 10 PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Primary Examiner.

D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HINGE COMPRISING A LEFT-HAND LEAF, A RIGHT-HAND LEAF, KNUCKLES ON BOTH SAID LEAVES FOR RECEIVING A PINTLE, SAID RIGHT-HAND LEAF HAVING AN ANGLED CUTOUT PORTION, A PINTLE, A RETAINER MEMBER INTEGRAL WITH SAID PINTLE, SAID RETAINER MEMBER HAVING AN ANGLED LOWER PORTION FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID RIGHT-HAND LEAF ANGLED CUTOUT PORTION WHEREBY SAID PINTLE IS RESTRAINED IN UPWARD MOVEMENT. 